Aesthetics & Military Science

[kniteowl]

To make room for all these new buildings and wonders and units, Beyond the Sword includes a handful of new technologies. In some cases, the new techs merely bridge the gap between two existing technologies. In other cases, they branch off into entirely new directions. Aesthetics, for instance, fills in the space between writing and literature and drama. Military Science, on the other hand, leads off from Chemistry and enables a few new promotions.

So Aesthetics now takes Alphabet's former position on the tech tree.

Seems Alphabet is now a dead end tech that only grants you tech trading, converting Hammers to beakers and activates the Espionage Silder.

This changes our teching strategy a bit, no longer can you get both, early tech trading and a shot at the Great Library Wonder anymore, especially on the higher levels. It's either one or the other.

Military Science is the interesting one, it leads off Chemistry. I Wonder if Grenadiers have to pushed back to Military Science?... (just speculation)

If they are it'll lengthen the lifespan of the Musketman, which was the weak point of that unit.

How will it change the teching strategy if my speculation comes true?

Will Players still make a beeline to Chemistry?

Well without Grenadiers, the Tech's only bonuses are you can Build Frigates and you gain an extra Hammer from Workshop improvement,Chemistry also opens Steel.

I can see most Chemistry Beelines will be for Early Cannons by opening up Steel and Siege Units are very important, followed up by Military Science for Grenadiers.

 

[Quagga]

Will Military Academies now require Military Science? Seems logical.

Is Military Tradition still a tech, or has it been replaced by Military Science?

 

[Watiggi]

Seems Alphabet is now a dead end tech that only grants you tech trading, converting Hammers to beakers and activates the Espionage Silder.

and gives you the spy unit too IIRC.

 

[kniteowl]

Is Military Tradition still a tech, or has it been replaced by Military Science?

I Don't think so... if that were true what the point in building Cuirassier?

Rifling just cost as much but down a different Tech route and it opens up Cavalry and Riflemen.

Seems Alphabet is now a dead end tech that only grants you tech trading, converting Hammers to beakers and activates the Espionage Silder.

and gives you the spy unit too IIRC.

That's kind of implied ain't it?

 

[marioflag]

There are some good info about them .......just enough to say that Military Science seems really a must for warmongers....there are also some interesting changes related to Aestethics, but i can't post them

 

[kniteowl]

There are some good info about them .......just enough to say that Military Science seems really a must for warmongers....there are also some interesting changes related to Aestethics, but i can't post them

Let me guess their the leaked changes... ****** Why was I one of the guys who missed out on that thread... lol :S

 

[sneaky]

Aesthetics also was required for some wonder like the Statue of Zeus right?

 

[GeoModder]

Aesthetics also was required for some wonder like the Statue of Zeus right?

Indeed.

 

[kazapp]

If the change makes it harder to get to Grenadiers, it's all good.

I have played several games where I am not particularly in the lead (of the tech race) but where I get this huge advantage of beelining for Chemistry.

Macemen and Knights simply don't stand up to these guys, and they make mincemeat of most city defenders. It becomes incredibly easy to take cities with a 80-90% success rate vs Longbowmen.

Of course you need a handful of Catapults to open up the doors, but who doesn't have a few of those lying around? (Unless of course it's a coastal city: then Chemistry is all you need - upgrading Caravels to Frigates is definitely worth it)

The list of good things about those Bomber Jacks doesn't end there though: even though you get them before Riflemen - they are actually better than those.

Which almost makes you want to give away Rifling for free to your worst opponents! (You wouldn't want them to fill their cities with unbudgeable Grenadiers when they can foolishly build 90% Riflemen).

Yep, I can definitely see all of this go bye bye with the expansion. In fact, I hope so.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

while Military Science seems like a natural tech for Military Academies, hopefully they don't, that would be too late. I can see it required for the Pentagon.

Maybe the aesthetics tech enables the Palace/Throne Room option

 

[Andrew_Jay]

If they are it'll lengthen the lifespan of the Musketman, which was the weak point of that unit.

Definitely - especially when you consider that the French, the Ottomans and now the Ethiopians all have Musketman UUs.

I'm looking forward to these changes, and straightening out that section of the tech tree. It always seemed that Cannons came too late and Grenadiers too early (you'd just barely have Musketmen, and then you'd have the counter for what the Musketmen are supposed to upgrade to).

 

[Dom Pedro II]

I'm just wondering if they're going to bring in Leonard Nimoy to do the quotes for the couple of new techs...

 

[sneaky]

I'm just wondering if they're going to bring in Leonard Nimoy to do the quotes for the couple of new techs...

They said in the chat that they got Sid to do the new quotes not Nimoy.

 

[winddbourne]

I think they did mention somewhere that they were making the age of the musketman last longer, and these suggestions point out one way they could do it. Though I think it might take a little more than these to make it last long enough for all those UU's to be worthwhile. Especially since they are likely to counter each other in many battles.

After all if half of everyone on your map has improved swordsmen/axemen/musketmen it's not so much that they got a boost, but that you got your "normal" unit weakened. lol. At least in practice for that one game.

 

[Dom Pedro II]

They said in the chat that they got Sid to do the new quotes not Nimoy.

Eck! Inconsistency... I hope if they have him do the voice of those that he'll do them all and they'll just replace nimoy.

 

[Psyringe]

Eck! Inconsistency... I hope if they have him do the voice of those that he'll do them all and they'll just replace nimoy.

Believe it or not, there was a game with *seven* different people reading tech quotes ... and people still liked it. (It was called SMAC, btw.)

Not that I'd object against replacing Nimoy though ... however, Sid's voice isn't much better.

 

[Dom Pedro II]

Well, I wouldn't mind have numerous people doing the speaking... but IMO, you either need a variety of people or just one person. Having Sid only do the couple of new techs sounds like "We couldn't get Nimoy... but hey, here's Sid!"

 

[aelf]

Seems Alphabet is now a dead end tech that only grants you tech trading, converting Hammers to beakers and activates the Espionage Silder.

Why do you think so? Why can't Alphabet be required for Aesthetics?

 

[Mewtarthio]

I certainly hope Alphabet doesn't become a dead-end tech. Otherwise, it becomes even easier to describe nuclear fusion using only pictograms.

 

[ChrTh]

I certainly hope Alphabet doesn't become a dead-end tech. Otherwise, it becomes even easier to describe nuclear fusion using only pictograms.

Well, according to the Civilization Revolution trailer, you can describe space travel with cave wall paintings, so I don't see a difference

In all seriousness, why couldn't you? I don't know much about Kanji or similar forms of writing, but I imagine you could express nuclear fusion in it.